Blame it on the genes or not, women have always been more fashion conscious as compared to men. Right from their attire to their accessories, women have always embraced the new fashion trends wholeheartedly. No wonder, the accessories for the fairer sex are more fashionable than that of men.
Over the decades, if there has been one accessory which women took a big liking to, it has been the sunglasses. The Cat-eye, round frames, Wayfarers – each decade contributed its own style to the history of sunglasses.
Here’s a round-up of women sunglasses styles from different decades and a list of celebrities who made them famous.
50’s to 60’s – Those were the times
The 50’s era was dominated by the feline Cat-eye. The style had a distinct feminine touch to it and unsurprisingly became the craze among women. The list of celebs who flaunted their Cat-eyes includes Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth, Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly.
The hippie culture prominent in 60’s and 70’s had its influence on the fashion industry and the sunglasses were no exception. The 60’s saw the emergence of oversized sunglasses in a big way. Also known as butterfly frames and bug-eyed frames, oversized sunglasses were sported by the Who’s Who of the American politics. How can one forget the then first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, whose trademark sunglasses were the black oversized ones?
Style of 80’s – 90’s
The 1980’s introduced a lot of colours in sunglasses. In fact, the term ‘shades’ emerged during this decade. What more! Even plastic frames became popular during this decade.
Though 80’s saw a lot of colourful frames, the Ray-Ban’s black Wayfarer was the unbeatable style of the decade. It was the pop singer Madonna who defined the fashion trends during the 80’s. Her rubber bracelets, tank tops, leather caps and black Ray-ban Wayfarers were a rage among the fans.
The 90’s took a shift from the plastic frames of 80’s and popularized the metal frames with colourful tinted round glasses. The iconic musician John Lennon, the celebrated actress Courtney Cox – the list of celebs who popularized metal sunglasses in this decade is a long one.
Glimpse of the current trends
In terms of style and shape, the sunglasses have evolved a lot during the last decade. Many brands even came up with exclusive sunglasses for kids. However, if there have been two shapes which have withstood the test of time and is still popular, they have been the Aviators and Wayfarers.
Nowadays, Wayfarers and Aviators can be spotted on everyone -right from the ultra-rich to the man on the street and from celebs to office goers.
The last decade has also seen the welcoming back of oversized sunglasses. More often than not, celebs like Miley Cyrus, Nicole Richie and Lady Gaga are seen in oversized sunglasses.
Circa 2014. The sunglasses still hold a big sway over women. But the question is which style do you take a liking to? The Cat-eyes of the 50s or the colour shades of the 80s? Or are you an evergreen Aviator?
